To grow a pineapple

Ok... I know this sounds really silly, but before I went to Hawaii the first time, I had no idea how pineapples grew. I actually thought they grew on trees. Ummm, now I know better. The cool thing I just found out is that you can grow a new plant from just taking the top off the one you're about to eat, remove the flesh, pull off a few bottom leaves and stick into dirt. So, I'm gonna give it a try here in Montana in a pot that I set out on the deck and bring in when the weather turns. I've got a great sunny window too. This will give me something to remind me of Hawaii when we're not there. Damn, it's hard to grow stuff here! Of course this is depending upon if I can even find a pineapple here. I'm sure the one's we get have been radiated, so wonder if they will even grow.

The Hawaiian Personality

And here comes the latest adventure... We've been traveling to Hawaii for the past 15 years. About 10 years ago, I became obsessed with moving there, then again 5 years ago, and now we are looking seriously as the time seems right. Gonna happen this time! We are enthralled with the Big Island and the idea of being part of that life at least part-time. We are very interested in the foods found in Hawaii. Living in Montana can be difficult on the food end of it. The growing season is soooo short and sweet, almost too hectic to participate. We love the sustainable culture we are finding on the Big Island, I mean it's an island! You have to live that way as much as possible. We love that recycling is encouraged every where we go there, we love the freshness of the food not to mention the exotic offerings, we love the warmth both the temperature and the people, we love the jungle and green colors, (pretty colorless here in MT at times), we love that you can put something in the ground and it will grow. Yet there are things to work through... extremely high airfare, finding the right location...

The Washington Personality

Equally as wonderful as Montana, our small 5-acre farm is located on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. We are tucked in between the Olympic National Park and the Hood Canal. The farm is 115 years old, the house is cool, we are only the 4th owners in that many years. We grow lavender, blueberries, raspberries, nuts, flowers, on and on. The abundance is incredible. We try to get there as much as we can, yet our major income producing jobs are in Montana. So, it's frequent visits. We love the people in this area, love the food we can find there - abundant sea food, love the access to Seattle and other cultural opportunities, love the farmer's market in Port Townsend. But there are times... the crime seems to be on the rise, the gray skies can be a bit much, the schools can be a challenge. We work through it.

The Montana Personality

Well, born and raised in Montana, at age of 12 started living part-time in Washington State and part-time in Montana, and still do today. WE LOVE MONTANA and can't seem to get it our of our hearts, but hey, we don't have to anyway. Everything is big in Montana, large wild animals, big sky, big sunsets, big lakes and rivers, big snows, the list goes on, gives one a sense of place and how small we really are. We love the outdoors here. We love the people here, some of the nicest, most trusting and helpful folks you'll ever meet. We mostly love the small Montana town life. We live in the Red Lodge area, just a short drive to Yellowstone National Park. www.redlodge.com It suits us here, yet, there are times... like when the snow is 4 feet deep until April or May, or when you can't find a place within 5 hours that recycles glass, or some of the small minded, almost racist or homophic personalities become vocal. We work through it.

One "major reason"

Ok... just getting started here. I want to post a pic of one major driving force behind why I've become obsessed about living part-time in yet another state. Just getting so damn tired of the snow! This pic was taken on April 4th 2009! Enough already!